. >>> the ball is back in president obama keerts. house republicans unveiling a bold proposal to avoid a so-called fiscal cliff. the white house didn't waste any time attacking it. kelly wright is live in washington with more on this. good morning, kelly. >> good morning to you. the back and forth is continuing in a letter with president obama. american people expect leaders to find fair middle ground with the nation's most pressing challenges. with that they propose is a counter over for the fiscal cliff. the republican plan has will00 billion for tax freerm 900 billion in mandatory spending cuts and 300 billion in discretionary cuts. the proposal falls short of what the president wants and cannot be taken seriously. >>> we understand they don't agree with everything the president has put on the table but we haven't seen alternatives for that. they have spoken about an avenue and that challenge is welcome. republican leaders have been adamant they don't believe rates ought to go up on the top 2 percent of wealthiest americans. the a